Toward a better fee structure for City rec centres
30
2009
On Monday, Council’s Community Services Committee will look at a proposal to change the fee structure for using City rec centres. The new structure would make monthly and annual passes cheaper for most users, but would increase the single-visit cost by an average of about $1.
The goal is to lower costs for most users by making sure they’re not paying for more than they need. It’s a good principle, and I support it.
For example, under the current system, if you want an annual pass to use Kinsmen, you have to buy a Tier 1 pass to all facilities for $576 whether you want to use another facility or not. Under the new proposal, if you only wanted to use Kinsmen, you wouldn’t have to buy an all-facilities pass, and would save about $100.
There are some bugs, though. The new proposal is good for most users, but people who use the Mill Woods Recreation Centre and not the Kinsmen will have to pay about $20 more for an annual pass. It doesn’t make sense to me to charge Mill Woods users more when the philosophy is to make passes cheaper to get more people to use rec centres.
I’m the Chair of the Community Services Committee, and on Monday I’ll explore whether we can make a small change to iron out this problem. If so, this proposal makes a lot of sense. Council is investing hundreds of millions over the next few years to build and improve recreation facilities, and we need to make it easier and more affordable for our citizens to use them.
UPDATE (NOV. 2): We were able to adjust the proposal in committee today to resolve this issue. The new model will come to Council for final approval in December, and I think most users will be happy with it.
Recreation centres are one of the key services provided by the City. They’re not just about fun – they improve our health, they’re a positive place for youth, and they are real community hubs. I’m excited for construction of the new rec centre in The Meadows to start next year, and I hope we’ll have a better fee structure in place by then.
0 comments
